The move is kind of tragic when you realize that he might have been stuck on that same day for well up to 10 years or more...Ramis speculated 10,000 years at one point but that would be more than enough time to get good at EVERYTHING, not just music and languages and ice sculptures and throwing cards into a hat...in addition to driving him so farking insane that he wouldn't be able to deal with real life when he got out. Could you imagine trying to handle unpredictable events in a linear temporal reality after being stuck in a predictable, closed-loop universe for so long?

There was a scripted subplot where he would go to the library and read one page a day from a random book to keep track, and before the end he had read the entire library.

This is pitiful. A thousand people freezing their butts off waiting to worship a rat. What a hype. Groundhog Day used to mean something in this town. They used to pull the hog out, and they used to eat it. You're hypocrites, all of you!

It's the same thing your whole life: "Clean up your room. Stand up straight. Pick up your feet. Take it like a man. Be nice to your sister. Don't mix beer and wine, ever." Oh yeah: "Don't drive on the railroad track."

Ishkur:The move is kind of tragic when you realize that he might have been stuck on that same day for well up to 10 years or more...Ramis speculated 10,000 years at one point but that would be more than enough time to get good at EVERYTHING, not just music and languages and ice sculptures and throwing cards into a hat...in addition to driving him so farking insane that he wouldn't be able to deal with real life when he got out. Could you imagine trying to handle unpredictable events in a linear temporal reality after being stuck in a predictable, closed-loop universe for so long?

There was a scripted subplot where he would go to the library and read one page a day from a random book to keep track, and before the end he had read the entire library.

See... that's not how I think about it. I always thought it would be freedom. Yes, you're stuck in one day for who knows how long... but you have the opportunity to do whatever you can imagine in that one day with no consequences whatsoever. For someone who has a lot of imagination, it opens up a lot of possibilities. Ever wanted to know what it's like to X? Do it. No consequences.

Ishkur:The move is kind of tragic when you realize that he might have been stuck on that same day for well up to 10 years or more...Ramis speculated 10,000 years at one point but that would be more than enough time to get good at EVERYTHING, not just music and languages and ice sculptures and throwing cards into a hat...in addition to driving him so farking insane that he wouldn't be able to deal with real life when he got out. Could you imagine trying to handle unpredictable events in a linear temporal reality after being stuck in a predictable, closed-loop universe for so long?

There was a scripted subplot where he would go to the library and read one page a day from a random book to keep track, and before the end he had read the entire library.

About the insanity, I think that falls along the lines of Hitchhiker's Guide. He had enough time to go completely insane and then come back from it.

When Chekhov saw the long winter, he saw a winter bleak and dark and bereft of hope. Yet we know that winter is just another step in the cycle of life. But standing here among the people of Punxsutawney and basking in the warmth of their hearths and hearts, I couldn't imagine a better fate than a long and lustrous winter.

Ishkur:The move is kind of tragic when you realize that he might have been stuck on that same day for well up to 10 years or more...Ramis speculated 10,000 years at one point but that would be more than enough time to get good at EVERYTHING, not just music and languages and ice sculptures and throwing cards into a hat...in addition to driving him so farking insane that he wouldn't be able to deal with real life when he got out. Could you imagine trying to handle unpredictable events in a linear temporal reality after being stuck in a predictable, closed-loop universe for so long?

There was a scripted subplot where he would go to the library and read one page a day from a random book to keep track, and before the end he had read the entire library.

The pace of the movie makes it feel like a few months. But the things he learns takes it into at least a couple of years. I can't handle the movie if I imagine any more than that. By year three there's no way he could avoid becoming an axe murderer for at least one day.

Ghastly:If we get 6 more weeks of winter it WILL be an early spring. God I hate winter. Loathe it with a passion. Come on Global Warming. Burn the rest of the world and make Canada a tropical paradise.

THIS. There's a Canadian groundhog (Wiarton Willie), with a similar ridiculous ceremony, and I always wondered why. Most of us are getting 10-12 more weeks of winter whether the stupid little rodent sees his shadow or not!

1 woodchuck2 onions, sliced1/2 cup celery, slicedFlourVinegar and waterSalt and pepperClovesClean woodchuck; remove glands; cut into serving pieces. Soak overnight in a solution of equal parts of water and vinegar with addition of one sliced onion and a little salt. Drain, wash, and wipe. Parboil 20 minutes, drain, and cover with fresh boiling water. Add one sliced onion, celery, a few cloves, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until tender; thicken gravy with flour.

bingethinker:Ghastly: If we get 6 more weeks of winter it WILL be an early spring. God I hate winter. Loathe it with a passion. Come on Global Warming. Burn the rest of the world and make Canada a tropical paradise.

THIS. There's a Canadian groundhog (Wiarton Willie), with a similar ridiculous ceremony, and I always wondered why. Most of us are getting 10-12 more weeks of winter whether the stupid little rodent sees his shadow or not!

We're all getting at least 6 more weeks - since it's winter until March 21 or so.

James F. Campbell:can imagine in that one day with no consequences whatsoever. For someone who has a lot of imagination, it opens up a lot of possibilities. Ever wanted to know what it's like to X? Do it. No consequences.

Yes, we all assume that's exactly what he did for the first 3 or 4 years. But he stopped doing it and why? ....because again, there's no consequences. Nothing is fulfilling if it doesn't really matter and there's no real outcome. Things have to be predicated on other things to be meaningful, and in a world without this, everything devolves into an existentialist, nihilistic waste of time.

The plot hole that always irks me about the movie is, after he's explored every manner of hedonistic and selfish pursuits (including manipulating people through painstaking processes of trial-and-error/brute force), he then begins to reform himself, and self actualization and self improvement become his goals. While this is a morally and spiritually noble turn for the character, for someone as cynical as him, there is no reason why he would believe that doing altruistic things would get him out of the loop anymore than doing selfish things.

So why learn French, or the piano, or ice sculpturing? There is no one to show it to (outside of that day and that community), no greater impact on the world at large, and everyone forgets except him. There is no indication that he will ever get out so what is the point of doing anything at all? He cannot build upon any meaningful connections of relationships he makes with anybody. He grows and matures as an individual while everyone around him remains static.

It is a type of purgatory that may seem awesome at first but would ultimately be a fate worst than death.

Decillion:The pace of the movie makes it feel like a few months. But the things he learns takes it into at least a couple of years. I can't handle the movie if I imagine any more than that. By year three there's no way he could avoid becoming an axe murderer for at least one day.

Who says he didn't? They just didn't film some of the more grisly days. But it had to last much longer than that. He spent a few months just working Rita alone (and, presumably, every other woman in town).

Ishkur:Nothing is fulfilling if it doesn't really matter and there's no real outcome. Things have to be predicated on other things to be meaningful, and in a world without this, everything devolves into an existentialist, nihilistic waste of time.

What you're saying is already true of the Universe. When I said "no consequences whatsoever," I meant social consequences.

I predict Spring in a week or two, just like the record-breaking weather we had the week before last, and just like the Spring we had not long before that. In fact, I predict that we're be freezing our arses off for a week, then sweating for a week. The way I see it is that when global warming forces more hot air to flow into the Arctic, some of the cold air is bound to be pushed out. Maybe you're not used to cold and hot snaps from Hell down in Florida or Arizona, but up here in Canada, the old French proverb is well known:

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose!The more it changes, the more it stays the same.

As Mark Twain reported from New England, if you don't like the weather now, just wait fifteen minutes.

I'm keeping my snow pants in a bag by the door, along with a pile of gloves (four different thicknesses) and scarves. I can go from running shoes to Arctic-rated boots after a quick glance at the weather news.

1 woodchuck2 onions, sliced1/2 cup celery, slicedFlourVinegar and waterSalt and pepperClovesClean woodchuck; remove glands; cut into serving pieces. Soak overnight in a solution of equal parts of water and vinegar with addition of one sliced onion and a little salt. Drain, wash, and wipe. Parboil 20 minutes, drain, and cover with fresh boiling water. Add one sliced onion, celery, a few cloves, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until tender; thicken gravy with flour.

This confirms Brantgoose's Maxim: Nothing is a real problem if it can be eaten.

MemeSlave:bingethinker: Ghastly: If we get 6 more weeks of winter it WILL be an early spring. God I hate winter. Loathe it with a passion. Come on Global Warming. Burn the rest of the world and make Canada a tropical paradise.

THIS. There's a Canadian groundhog (Wiarton Willie), with a similar ridiculous ceremony, and I always wondered why. Most of us are getting 10-12 more weeks of winter whether the stupid little rodent sees his shadow or not!

We're all getting at least 6 more weeks - since it's winter until March 21 or so.